First-trimester screening for preeclampsia

Review article.

Department of Clinical Biochemistry, University Hospital Olomouc; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Palacky University Olomouc, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University Hospital Olomouc; The Institute for the Care of Mother and Child and 3rd Faculty of Medicine Charles University, Prague; G-CENTRUM Olomouc, Olomouc; Genetika Plzeň, Pilsen. Methods, results: Preeclampsia (PE) is a multisystem disorder complicating pregnancy. It is the leading cause of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity worldwide. Recent studies have shown that high-risk pregnant women may benefit from low-dose acetylsalicylic acid early therapy in prevention of the development of severe forms of the disease. The risk group of pregnant women should be identified in 11-13 gestational week for effective prevention. The only procedure validated in many studies for performing PE screening with sufficient diagnostic accuracy in the first trimester of pregnancy is given by The Fetal Medicine Foundation (FMF) and has been adopted and published in a new recommendation by The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO).

This article summarizes the recent findings and recommendation for performing screening of preeclampsia in 1st trimester of pregnancy and how to prevent the development of severe forms of PE by low-dose acetylsalicylic acid therapy.